Echoes of the Past
by Michi Kobayashi
Summary: After Syaoran's abrupt departure from Japan, both Syaoran and Sakura are left waiting for each other. Will they be able to meet again? And what is behind the strange events that follow them? Sometimes looking into the past can help unlock the future...
1. Chapter 00 Beginning of the End

Chapter 00 - Prologue: Beginning of the End

Syaoran walked forward and handed the teddy bear to Sakura. Their hands met for the first time, sharing each other's warmth, while they looked into each other's eyes.

Seeing Syaoran's sincere gaze, Sakura fought hard to hold back the tears which flooded her heart; she did not want Syaoran to see her upset.

It was not fair. Why did his family have to take him back? Why couldn't he stay here in japan? But then again, that would just be selfish. Life is never fair. Syaoran probably has good reasons to go anyway. She just had to live with it.

Just then, the Nameless card started glowing. Flying out of Sakura's pocket, the ball of light split into two, one moving to Sakura's hands, the other to Syaoran's. When the light slowly faded, each of them held a Nameless Sakura card with half of a winged heart on it.

Seeing this, the two joined in a final tearfelt embrace. At that distance, they could feel each other's heartbeats, beating in harmony. The people around the airport, the buzz of other lives, the whole world continued ruthlessly undisturbed, but it didn't matter anymore; everything boiled down to this moment. Their final moment.

"I'll see you again, right?"


	2. Chapter 01 Homecoming

Chapter 01 - Homecoming

"I'll see you again, right?"

Sakura's five words repeated themselves in Syaoran's mind like echoes.

Syaoran rested his head on his fist as he looked out of the car window, recalling the memories of their card capturing days. The happiness, the laughter, the people he met... It was so hard to believe that he left it all two hours and several hundred miles behind him. To him, it seemed like lightyears. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and felt the card which Sakura gave him.

It was not fair. Why did his family have to take him back? Why couldn't he stay there in Japan? But then again, that would just be selfish. Life was never fair. He did not want to interfere with Sakura's life any longer. He just had to live with it.

"Are you okay, master Syaoran?" Wei asked, seeing his face in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah" Syaoran continued to stare emptily outside at Hong Kong's quiet streets.

Heavy raindrops pelted unceasingly on the window, as if accusing Syaoran of something while the wind sang his usual song, except louder, voicing the regrets of foregone spirits. The sky was just plain dark.

This weather perfectly reflected Syaoran's mood.

***

The car arrived at the Li mansion, which looked like something out a horror film in this light. Not that Syaoran cared.

Walking outside, Syaoran felt the cool raindrops descend upon his face, dampening his spirits even more. The clear, cold air surrounded him in a still embrace, while his hair, weighed down by the rain, clung to his head protectively.

He was finally home.

Suddenly, he felt the rain stop above him.

"Here." Wei kindly handed him an umbrella.

"Thank you." Syaoran accepted the umbrella, and started walking towards the tall, almost intimidating building. Just when he was about to press the doorbell, the door burst wide open, almost off its hinges.

"Syaoran!" Meiling jumped out towards her cousin, grabbing him. "Welcome back!" she said, hugging him tightly, almost to the point of suffocation.

"H-hi, Meiling" Syaoran struggled to say, winded.

"Meiling." A commanding voice warned as Meiling got off at once. Syaoran looked at the imposing silhouette standing before him.

"Hello, mother" Syaoran bowed. The silhouette walked forwards, revealing herself as Yelang Li.

Unlike most Chinese women, Syaoran's mother was very tall, standing out among her peers. Her long, flowing black hair very much resembled Meiling's, and any stranger would have easily mistaken her as Meiling's mother. They would be right to a certain extent though; she looked after Meiling like her own daughter.

"Welcome home, Xiao Lang."

***

The Sun descended below the horizon, looking for his long lost lover the Moon, while she chased above the horizon seeking the Sun. So cruel was life that they were fated to continue this futile search for each other eternally.

It was night.

***

The Li family was seated at a long table, eating dinner quietly. Yelang sat at the end of the table, as she had the highest status in the room. Meanwhile, Syaoran, and Meiling sat along the side. An uneasy silence filled the room.

"Xiao Lang" Yelang began, "how was your stay in Japan?"

"Fine" Syaoran muttered in reply.

"The Clow Cards?"

"All transformed successfully." Syaoran looked down through the table.

Yelang smiled. "Haizi, I am proud of you for aiding the Cardcaptor."

"So, did you tell Miss Kinomoto in the end?" Meiling asked eagerly. Syaoran blushed deeply and hung his head in silence. Meiling was, after all, a gossiper.

Outside, the storm that started earlier got worse as thunder joined his friend rain, dancing a lonely waltz together under the barely visible moonlight. Thunder sobbed violently while rain weeped unceasingly, bemoaning their long separation. Louder and louder they sang together until they reached the end of the crescendo, arriving at the cold climax.

Indoors, where the Li family sat, the sad song of rain and thunder were reduced to mere buzzes as Syaoran surveyed the scene. Everything was the same as when he left; the familiar furniture was in the familiar layout. Even the scent was unchanged. However, it did not have that warmth, that safe, happy feeling. It no longer felt like home.

When Syaoran finished his meal, he went straight to his bedroom, which like the rest of the house, was also unchanged. Changing quickly, he lay carelessly on his bed.

"I wonder what she is doing right now..." he thought, alone in the quiet darkness.

***

"Yi." Syaoran lifted his sword to shoulder height, grasping the hilt backwards so the blade was concealed behind his arm.

"Er." He drew his arm across his body, still holding the sword backwards. Simultaneously, he also stepped across with his right foot.

"San." He stepped forward again, extending his free hand forward with his index and middle fingers pointed in a jabbing position.

"Si." He put together his legs and half-crouched, holding the sword in both hands in front, the blade pointing upwards. He balanced in this posture for a while.

"Wu." He tipped his hands, and pointed the sword downwards.

It was a bright morning today as if the sky was trying to compensate for yesterday's storm. Syaoran was doing his daily sword training in the huge Dojo, as usual, when he was disturbed.

"Hey, Syaoran!" Meiling entered, "your mom wants to speak to both of us about something, and she said that it's important."

Syaoran looked up as his sword disappeared in a ball of light and magical energy, leaving the black orb hanging from his hand. Since it was allowed to disrupt his training, he figured that it must be big news, so he followed his cousin to the main hall.

On the way, they passed a long coridoor. Meiling saw the row of portraits depicting their ancestors. Though they were long gone, their images still had an imposing feel to them, and she had an overwhelming urge to pull faces at them, which she resisted.

"Here we are." Meiling turned the knob on a heavy oak door at the end of the coridoor. It creaked open painfully slowly, allowing them into the seemingly endless main hall.

"Good morning, Xiao Lang, Meiling." Yelang was already waiting at a table, indicating towards two chairs. They sat down together.

"Xiao Lang, have you decided where to go in terms of school, now that you have returned to China?" she began.

"No, mother" Syaoran replied. He could already see where this conversation was going.

Yelang paused for a while. "Well, your sisters have all moved to Beijing to study, so..." she paused again.

"I understand. So you want me to go to Beijing to continue my studies."

"Yes. Your sisters go to the best school in the country, and I am confident that you would have no problem joining."

"But, you would be alone here."

"Thank you for your concern" Yelang smiled, "but I still have Mimi to keep me company" she gestured at a cat sleeping by her foot.

Mimi was a stray cat who Syaoran took in two years ago. She was seriously ill at the time, and because Syaoran treated her and cared for her until she became better, she had taken a liking to the Li family. Now, she was somewhat like their family mascot.

Syaoran thought for a while.

"I'm going too, that is, if you choose to go" Meiling added.

After a while, Syaoran spoke.

"Alright."

"Yeah, we're going to Beijing!" Meiling cheered.

***

"It's a good job you didn't unpack since arriving, right, Syaoran?" Meiling asked as she zipped up her final suitcase.

"Hmm" Syaoran half-replied, not really listening.

"Zhima School, the most prestigious in the country" Meiling said excitedly.

Just then, the door to Meiling's room creaked open, causing the two to suddenly look around.

Nothing was there.

"Miao..." As they looked down, they saw Mimi crawling towards them.

"Aww, Mimi wants to say goodbye" Meiling cooed, crouching down and stretching her hand towards the cat.

Slowly, Mimi crawled up to Meiling's hand, and started sniffing it, raising her head in a curious manner and examining the scent. Satisfied with identifying the scent, she crawled off, uninterested.

Instead, she moved towards Syaoran's legs, and without even sniffing them, started wiping her face on them, and then leant on them, lying on his feet and purring contentedly. Syaoran gently stroked her head, his fingers brushing through her fine, brown fur. Looking at the green eyes and the brown hair, he was briefly reminded of someone, but he quickly brushed the thought away.

"Hey, no fair" Meiling said indignantly, "why does she ignore me?"

Still purring, Mimi looked at Meiling lazily with her emerald eyes and let out a long, slow meow.

As if following the meow, Yelang appeared at the door.

"Are you both finished packing?" she asked.

"Yes, mother" Syaoran replied.

"Ah, good" Yelang sighed. "I have just arranged your flights for tomorrow."

"Thank you" Syaoran looked at the bags of luggage.

***

"Say hello to your sisters for me" Yelang reminded. The other people had almost finished boarding, leaving Syaoran, his mother, and Meiling.

"Yes, mother" Syaoran replied.

"And take care of yourself and Meiling. Don't overwork" she added.

"This is the final call for passengers boarding the flight ZH/182 for Beijing, would all passengers on this flight please make your way to the boarding gate" the intercom announced.

"Goodbye, Xiao Lang" Yelang leaned forwards and kissed Syaoran on the forehead. He used to hate it, but now...

"C'mon, let's hurry" Meiling interrupted.

"Goodbye, mother" Syaoran said, looking at Yelang. He noticed that within her black hair, white hairs started to show. Things did seem to have changed here while he was away, but he decided not to tell her.

For the second time this week, he was leaving home again...

---Language/Cultural Notes---

(References to Japanese and Chinese language and cultures go here)

1. Lack of honorifics - In China, there are no honorifics, unlike Japan. This will become apparent in the next few chapters.

2. "Haizi" (hai zuh) - Chinese Mandarin for "my child", a term of endearment.

3. "Yi, er, san, si, wu" (ii, ur, san, sr, wu) - The numbers one to five in Chinese Mandarin. The moves described are actually part of a real martial arts form (sequence) belonging to the Tai Chi family.

4. "Xiao Lang" (shyao lang) - Chinese Mandarin pronounciation of "Syaoran". The meaning of this name will be explained in a later chapter.

5. White hair - A sign of wisdom in Chinese culture. Also a sign of stress in medical terms.

---Author's Message---

Hi! This is my first (and maybe last) fanfiction here, so it's probably different from the others.

Well, I wanted to do a romance/adventure (and of course, with some humor too) story for Cardcaptor Sakura, so I decided to write a continuation from episode 70. As I was writing, I wanted to explore more about the history of the characters and the Clow Cards, hence the title "Echoes of the Past". I can't tell you much about the storyline at this point, as that would just spoil it, but I have made a plan, so that's sorted.

Sorry if I bored you with all the Chinese. You see, I'm Chinese myself, so it's easy to get into the style.

Also, I noticed how I kept personifying stuff. That may have been because I was reading Virgil's Aeneid earlier. If you don't like it, then please let me know, and I'll change. (I mean, even I feel pretty weird reading it myself)

I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may ask. (That is, if any are left in the reviews section. Answers will be posted at the end of chapter 2)

Hope you enjoyed this and I look forward to seeing you again in chapter two.

Bye!

Michi Kobayashi


	3. Chapter 02 Starting Again

Ci mu shou zhong xian,  
You zi sheng shang yi,  
Lin xing mi mi feng,  
Yi kong chi chi gui,  
Shei shuo cun cao xin,  
Bao de san cun hui?

Translation:

The sewing needle sits on the caring mother's hand,  
The clothes she made sits on the leaving son's body,  
She sews the thread tightly,  
Afraid her son may return late,  
Who says a grass shoot's worth of gratitude Can repay the light of three seasons of spring?

Traveller Son's Verse -Lu You (Song Dynasty)

Chapter 02 - Starting Again

Syaoran sighed as he took off the jacket which his mother made for him before his journey.

Meiling looked through the travel brochures on the back of the seat in front.

"Wow, there are so many places I want to go" she said to herself excitedly as she gazed upon a photograph of the Forbidden City in the magazine. "We've got to go and see them all!" she turned towards Syaoran expectantly.

Syaoran was staring outside the window, at the tiny buildings below. "Our main reason in coming here is to go to school, not to go sightseeing" he muttered, not turning to face Meiling.

"Sheesh, why are you always so serious?" she pouted. Then, she caught sight of the Sakura Card hanging out his pocket. "What's this?" she snatched the card away playfully. "You caught a Sakura Card?" she asked, waving the card around.

"Sakura gave it to me before I left" Syaoran snatched it back, irritated.

"Oh" Meiling whispered. "I'm sorry."

A moment of silence stood between them for a while as they thought about the friends they had left behind.

"I am really sorry for bringing it up" Meiling sincerely apologized again.

"It's okay" Syaoran sighed. "It's just that now we're going to Beijing, I'll be even further away from her." He looked down at the memento.

"Aww, don't worry, I'm here for you" Meling put an arm around Syaoran's shoulder. He looked up. "We'll always be together" she assured. "As-as cousins" she quickly added, blushing.

"Thank you" he whispered. "I appreciate your help" he looked into his cousin's carmine red eyes.

***

In the centre of a busy city, a boy slowly walked out of a conference room holding a student's bag, looking bored. He brushed his hand through his messy black hair, tired, as he gazed down at his watch with his grey eyes. It was getting late.

With this in mind, he started walking much more briskly through the walkways towards the exit. Suddenly, he walked carelessly into someone, falling backwards onto the ground.

"G-gomenasai" he looked up, and saw that it was the editor of Kodansha.

"It's okay" the man smiled, offering a hand.

Taking the hand, the boy got up and quickly grabbed the bag that he dropped.

"Arigatou" he said apologetically.

"No need for the formality" the editor replied in a friendly tone. "Good luck, and keep up the good work!" he called, leaving.

After checking that the contents of his bag were okay, the boy also left the building.

Outside, the sky started to darken, as if it were frowning. Keen to avoid the rain that was almost certain to follow, he started to run.

Indeed, light droplets descended upon the ground, leaving dark marks where they landed. Already prepared, the boy opened his umbrella and kept running. Throughout the streets, voices could be heard, some calls, some complaints.

"Aw, it's raining again?"

"Quick! Over here!"

"C'mon, get in the car!"

"Syaoran-kun!"

For some reason, that last voice stood out among the rest. The boy noticed that it was a girl's voice, but he still kept running.

"Syaoran! Wait!"

Strange, there was no-one else near him. Could she be calling out to him?

He stopped, turning around.

A few metres behind him, a girl with auburn hair and emerald eyes was desperately running towards him.

"Syaoran-kun, what are-" she suddenly stopped when she got nearer, now able to look at his face more closely.

"Oh, gomenasai! You're not Syaoran..." she looked really disappointed, almost on the verge of crying.

"Sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else. It happens all the time" he replied. "Are you okay?" he asked, seeing her expression.

She nodded quietly, but started sobbing. He was unable to tell if the water on her face was rain or tears. The two stood there for a while, until they noticed that the rain started falling more heavily.

Half-afraid of getting the contents of his bag wet, and half-worried about the stranger in front of him, the boy yelled above the sound of the rain: "let's find some shelter."

The girl just nodded as they ran towards the front of a shop. Under the safety of the roof, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the boy asked again.

The girl didn't reply.

"I'm sure it's none of my business, but here" he handed her a tissue. Looking up, she slowly accepted it. Her eyes widened, as if it was familiar to her.

"Arigatou" she said, after drying her eyes. "I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"No, no, it's fine" he reassured.

"It's just that..." she broke off for a while before continuing, "you look a lot like a friend I had. I'm so sorry for disturbing you."

"No, not at all. Well, it was getting dark, and anyone could have made the same mistake."

She looked a little better.

"Here" he said, handing her his other umbrella. "You'd catch a cold in this weather. Use this."

She accepted the umbrella, speechless.

"Well, I'll be off, then" the boy said before opening his umbrella and walking off into the rain again. The monotonous drumming of raindrops continued above his head as he re-entered the coolness.

"Arigatou" the girl called after a while.

He stopped, and turned around.

"You're welcome" he smiled, then turned back, and disappeared into the darkness.

***

Syaoran's first experience of Beijing wasn't too great; it was raining, just like when he arrived in Hong Kong. But then again, it was still spring, and march had only just begun. After leaving the plane and collecting his and Meiling's luggage, they waited in the main hall for the driver, which Yelang had hired to pick them up.

Beijing International Airport was a lot bigger than Hong Kong's, but Syaoran expected no less from the heart of transport of the country's capital city. Apparently it had just been refurbished thanks to the Olympic Season. The front wall was made of pure glass, and the view (which was not much because of the dark clouds) outside could be seen clearly on a good day, while inside, the ground was made of hard, shiny marble.

Even though it was so dark and cold outside, the lights brightened up the interior, creating its own artificial daylight. The edges of the area was lined with shops selling many things ranging from Olympic merchandise (Yes, they were still selling it, even though the Olympic games were more than half a year ago) to everyday goods. Despite the gloomy weather, this place was bustling like any other high street in China.

"Hmm, this fan looks great! How much?" someone asked nearby.

"Ooh, history books" someone else said.

"Aww, this Olympic mascot plushie is adorable! I'm buying one for my homeroom teacher in England!" another voice squealed.

In the center of the hall, a huge sculpture stood majestically.

"Wow, what is that?" Meiling ran up to it, slowly followed by Syaoran.

It was an iron sculpture of four dragons, each supporting a corner of a large metal sphere. The level of detail in this work was exquisite; each dragon had its own unique image, with long, winding whiskers, countless impenetrable scales, and cold, sharp eyes which bore deeply into the souls of those who looked into them.

Even though they were just part of an inanimate structure, the dragons were full of life, and looked like they were ready to jump up and pounce on someone any second.

At the base of the sculpture, there were compass points below where the dragons were positioned.

The dragon to the north looked like a male. His scales were all sharpened, spiking downwards as if made of tough slate. The mane on his back flowed smoothly, but with strength, like the tips of a raging flame. The dragon to the east had a slender, more feminine body. The scales on her skin also looked strong, but they had an elegance to them, resembling the slabs of ice from the top of a frozen pond. The southern dragon seemed the oldest, his body was brittle, like the bark of a tree, the whiskers on his body soft and smooth like willow leaves, swaying in the wind. Finally, the western dragon was also elegant, like the eastern dragon. She had countless soft-looking scales on her back, covered by a gentle mane, like the clouds in the sky. The four dragons held up the sphere like it was the earth. At the base, there was an inscription, and Syaoran began waking towards it to read it.

"Are you Master Li?" a voice asked from behind as Syaoran turned around. In front of him stood a young man in a black driver's uniform.

"Yes, I am Syaoran Li" Syaoran replied as Meiling came around.

"And you must be Miss Li" the driver said to Meiling.

"Yep" she nodded.

"I am Huang, the driver your mother hired" he looked at Syaoran, then shook their hands. "Sorry I'm late, a road was closed due to bad weather conditions."

"That's okay" Syaoran replied.

Soon after loading their luggage, they set off towards the flat they rented.

The car journey was as uneventful as the one in Hong Kong, with Syaoran in a pensive state throughout. For him, though, it was slightly better than last time as he had Meiling by his side.

Both of them sat in silence as they thought about their new lives.

---Language/Cultural Notes---

1. "Gomenasai" - Japanese for "sorry".

2. "Arigatou" - Japanese for "thank you"

3. Kodansha - A major publisher in Japan, they released the original Cardcaptor Sakura manga.

4. The four dragons - There is such a sculpture in Beijing International Airport (I went there last year, so I know).

---Author's Message---

Hello again!

I know last chapter was too filler-y (is that even a word?), so this chapter, I tried to have something actually happening.

"Who's that boy who got mistaken for Syaoran?", "Is he returning in future chapters?" you ask? Well, you will just have to find out next chapter (which kinda answers the second question. Oops.)

With all the depressing stuff so far, it must feel pretty bad reading this, so, I promise I'll liven it up a little next chapter.

Until then, bye!

Michi Kobayashi

PS. I wanted to know if you preferred for me to write in British or American English? I can do both, so please let me know. Please select which language you want to read on the poll, which is on my profile page. Thank you for your time!


	4. Chapter 03 An Eventful Arrival

Chapter 03 - An Eventful Arrival

The car slowed down as they entered the main residential plot in the Zuojiazhuang district of suburban Beijing. Eventually, they stopped in front of an apartment block, and Syaoran got out with Meiling.

"Thanks" Meiling called back to the driver.

"No problem, do you want any help with your luggage?" Huang asked.

"No thanks, we'll manage" Syaoran said as he took the cases from the boot and started carrying them towards the entrance. Meiling also hurried, keen to get away from the rain.

"Good luck with your new school!" Huang called as he drove off.

Safe in the dry coridoors, Syaoran reached into his pocket for the keys.

"Number two..." he mumbled as he walked towards the second door from the entrance. His key fit perfectly into the lock, and the door opened smoothly with a gentle click.

Once inside, Syaoran pressed the switch next to the door, which he assumed to be the light switch. At once, the lights illuminated the whole apartment.

"Wow" Meiling gasped, looking around.

The apartment was truly impressive; set as an open plan area, the living room was very large and well-lit with many lights from above, all surrounding a central light shaped like a lantern hanging from the ceiling. The walls were a deep shade of blue-violet, contrasting the lights, making them stand out more. At the center of the living room, there was a wide and low coffee table made of hard wood, with a long, comfortable looking sofa on one side and a widescreen television on the other.

The dining area, linked to the living area and the kitchen, was plain and elegant, with a large darkwood table in the center and eight chairs around it. The kitchen itself was very practical, equipped with a stove, oven, and microwave. Shelves were hidden behind the counter which separated the kitchen and dining area. The counter extended to a minibar, which Syaoran thought was rather unnecessary. Thankfully, there were soft drinks instead of alcohol. In the glow of the dim spolights, he admitted that it looked pretty inviting.

Closing the door behind, Meilng suggested that they get something simple for dinner as they hadn't settled in yet. Syaoran agreed as he went and ordered a pizza.

After the pizza was delivered, Syaoran gave extra tips to the delivery boy for delivering in this kind of weather. With dinner ready, the two of them sat on the sofa, watching the TV while eating.

"...with sunny spells tomorrow, but it will become wet again at night with a storm imminent." the weathercaster announced. "...tonight, though, it seems that the east of China, Korea, and Japan are all under the same thick cumulus cloud, so expect heavy rain everywhere. Back to you in the studio."

"Ding dong!" the doorbell sounded.

"Who could it be at this time of the night?" Syaoran asked as he got up to open the door.

"Did the pizza boy get the change wrong?" Meiling wondered.

When Syaoran opened the door, he was suddenly grabbed by a pair of hands and pulled violently towards their owner.

***

Sitting down in a swivel seat in a darkened room, the boy plugged his PDA into the laptop and began copying the recordings he made of the meeting while he switched on the radio.

A soft piano melody played quietly, almost inaudibly, from the speakers. With a steady main melody and a simple bass line, the pitch gradually rose with the volume, pausing briefly before hitting the top of the sequence, then quietened while dropping to the stressed lower notes. The gentle modulations in sound denoted a certain sadness, a grief hidden behind the series of triplet notes.

"Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, eh?" the boy said to himself as he brushed his hand through his now wet and messy black hair, looking out the window. The moon was totally obscurred by the dark clouds, its existence was hidden, let alone its pale light.

After checking the things in his bag were okay, he took out a plane ticket from a different compartment and looked at it. On the front were printed the words "Destination: Beijing".

***

"Four to the power of minus a half equals..." Sakura read out to herself again, her pencil hovering over the answer box. After all those years, she was still no good at maths, but today, something else was the cause, preventing her from concentrating on her work.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, are you stuck again?" Kero popped out of his drawer, asking her in that Osaka accent of his. "That's the fifth time you've read that question."

"It's nothing" Sakura smiled at the guardian beast slash plush toy.

"Ah, if Clow taught me maths, then I could help" Kero yawned. "You should get some sleep soon" Kero muttered as he fell onto his little bed.

"Good night, Kero-chan" Sakura said, gently pulling the miniature mattress over the sleeping guardian, then closed the drawer.

Then she turned back to the question, frowning. She thought for a while before putting the pencil down. It was no use, she could not even think clearly. Turning around, she looked up through the window, seeing the murky clouds covering the stars from sight.

The person she saw today reminded her of Syaoran so much, but when she found out it was not him, the disappointment was just too overwhelming. Though it has only been two days, she missed Syaoran so much. Looking at the teddy bear he gave her, now sitting on her desk, she recalled that moment after Clow's test, the words Syaoran said to her.

"Sakura... I... I like you!" the memory played back again and again in her mind as she wondered what Syaoran was doing now.

Will she ever see him again?

"Hey, Sakura" a voice from the door jolted her from her thoughts as Touya entered the room. "You're still up doing homework?" he asked, walking over to the desk and examining the exercise book.

"Yeah, I'm just a little stuck" she replied.

Looking at the question, Touya smiled as he started explaining it. "The index is negative, so you reciprocate the number four, giving a quarter. Then, you square root the denominator because of the half-power, which gives two. So, the answer is?" he asked.

After thinking for a while, Sakura replied "two?", yawning.

"No, it's reciprocated, so it's a half" Touya corrected.

Sakura didn't answer.

Looking down, Touya saw that Sakura, bored by his explanation, had fallen fast asleep with her head resting on the desk.

"Sleepy monster..." he muttered, putting the book down.

Gently, afraid to wake her, he lifted Sakura out of the chair and slowly placed her in her bed, pulling the mattress over her. After turning off the desk lamp and walking towards the door, he stopped and looked at his sister.

"Sweet dreams" he gently whispered, before closing the door.

***

"Kyaaa!" several voices screamed as Syaoran stepped back and tripped while four girls fell on him in a huge embrace.

"Our brother's here!" they squealed.

Meiling looked up from the television and saw Syaoran's sisters all hugging him in a pile on the floor. All that could be seen of Syaoran was his hand, helplessly trying to pull himself free from the combined weight of his sisters.

"C-can't... breathe..." Syaoran coughed as the girls suddenly jumped off of him, realising that he was going to suffocate. Syaoran slowly clambered back up with difficulty breathing while the girls crowded around Meiling, greeting her in their noisy fashion. It was the second time this week he got winded so badly (counting Meiling from two days ago), and he made a mental note to check and be prepared for sudden embracing the next time he opened a door.

"Hello, Fanren-chan, Fuutie-chan, Shiefa-chan, Feimei-chan" he managed to say.

"Eeeeh?" they all turned to him in unison, leaving an awkward silence.

Shiefa stepped forward. "Um, Syaoran, you're not in Japan anymore, you don't need to use honorifics here" she said in a matter-of-fact way while the others giggled.

"Fanren-chan... It suits you" Fuutie laughed at her twin.

"Haha, Fuutie-chan sounds even better!"

Fanren and Fuutie were the bubbly twins, both seven years older than Syaoran, and also the oldest of the sisters. They were always seen together, and because they looked identical, people often confused one with the other. To make it easier to tell who's who, Fanren wore a red earring on her right ear while Fuutie wore a blue earring on her left. Contrary to the family traditions, they both had short, spiky hair.

"Hello, onii-chan" Shiefa said in a Japanese accent, imitating the way her brother spoke.

Shiefa, on the other hand, was the quiet one among them. She was a four years older than Syaoran, and was the closest to him of all the sisters. In the past, they spent the most time together (that was, before Meiling was introduced) and knew each other well. Her intrapersonal nature was shown in her appeance; well-dressed and orderly, she kept her long, black hair simple and straightened, draped on her shoulders.

Finally, there was Feimei. Feimei was three years older than Syaoran, making her the youngest of the four sisters. She was also the prettiest, with large, beautiful amber eyes on a cute round face. Her brown hair was tied up in a long ponytail with a large pink bow at the end.

"Onii-chan? I'm calling you that from now on!" Feimei chuckled.

"Hey, wanna hear about Syaoran's stay in Japan and what happened with a certain friend?" Meiling asked the sisters.

"Ooh" Fanren, Fuutie, and Feimei gathered around on the sofa, interested in the gossip.

Here we go again...

Shiefa, who decided not to join that conversation, walked up to the sweatdropping Syaoran.

"Hey Syaoran" she said, taking his attention off the chirping crowd on the sofa. "How was Japan?"

Seeing Shiefa, Syaoran relaxed a little. "It's great" he said. "It's a real friendly place. Well, when there are no Clow Cards around wreaking havoc."

Shiefa smiled shyly, covering her mouth. Then, they joined the others in the living area. Hearing the words "and then he was forced to leave her", Syaoran immediately wished he hadn't joined then, as he anticipated the inevitable.

"Aww, poor Syaoran, poor Sakura" Fanren and Fuutie turned towards him with sympathetic puppy expressions. He knew he had no time to escape as the two took him into a reassuring, "comforting" hug.

"It's so tragic" Fanren said.

"Don't worry, Romeo, you won't be alone, you still have us" Fuutie cooed.

"I'm going to have to get used to this..." Syaoran thought.

***

In the dark room, the soft glow of the computer screen lit up a small proportion of the area. The screen displayed the words "synchonization complete".

Satisfied with the results, the boy shut down the laptop, while he turned the radio down. Changing the channel, a more modern song played through the speakers.

In the darkness, the boy lay back onto his bed, listening to the quiet lyrics.

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn to fly, I'll do what it takes 'till I touch the sky"

The boy sighed as he thought about tomorrow's flight. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he saw the images of stars projected from the glowing board sitting at the foot of the bed.

---Author's Message---

Okay, I've been doing some research on the CCS storyline, and I noticed a lot of spooky similarities between what I planned for Echoes of the Past and the CCS movies (which I have never seen, never heard of until five minutes ago. I'm not telling how they are similar, though). So, some stuff may get changed later. Nonetheless, I decided to write this as an alternative continuation of the television series, so to those who have already watched the movies, please treat this as a separate parallel.

To those who haven't watched the movies, please don't watch them if you don't want to spoil this fanfic.

To those who haven't watched the movies but want to, go ahead; I can't tell you what to do. ;)

'till next chapter,

Michi Kobayashi

===Footnote===

Arigatou to AngelEmCuti-chan, Twilight Kisses-chan, and Whaleessssx3-chan for adding my story! Thank you all! ^^

*Deep bows*


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